Erin Blakemore

I really enjoyed this collection of essays about literary heroines and their authors.

Ms. Blakemore shares her enthusiastic, thoughtful insights on how several literary heroines are still relevant today. There are a few moments when my snobby English-teacher-self threatened to crowd the book out, but her gentle discussion carried the day. This is a balm if you need to remind yourself why you like reading classic books.

[The Heroine's Bookshelf: Life Lessons, from Jane Austen to Laura Ingalls Wilder] by [Erin Blakemore] explores how our admired literary characters can be examples for us when life gets tough.

There are 10 chapters, each with a different topic. There is Self (Lizze Bennett), Happiness (Anne Shirley), Family Ties (Francie Nolan), etc. The concept is great but while I enjoyed reading it (and I read it over several months) Blakemore's comments are often mundane.

Gave up two chapters in - pretty disappointing, not terribly insightful, and targeted toward people who *don't* think that fictional characters are good role models. Not for me.